By Kemeseng Sanneh (Kexx)
Eco Bank and Guaranty Trust Bank (GT Bank) have furnished the high court with the account details of Aisha Fatty in the civil case filed by Abdoulaye Thiam against her. Aisha and Abdoulaye Thiam were both absent.
The two (2) banks brought the bank statements according following a directive issued by Justice Ebrima Jaiteh of the Banjul High Court.
Thiam sued Aisha Fatty and the Inspector General of Police (IGP). The Senegalese business tycoon Thiam aims to recover monies, gold ornaments, and properties, including vehicles he had allegedly given to Aisha Fatty during their intimate relationship.
Thiam is a business tycoon in Senegal while Aisha is a Gambian businesswoman.
On the 8th of May 2024, Justice Jaiteh issued an order instructing Eco Bank and Guaranty Trust Bank to provide the bank statements of Aisha Fatty.
On June 9, 2024, GT Bank’s Legal Officer Eric Samuel Ketter presented Aisha Fatty’s bank statement to the court with the information requested per the court order.
“We have the account statements as per the court’s directive,” Counsel Eric Samuel Ketter informed the court.
Copies of the statements were handed over to both Abdoulaye Thiam’s legal team and Aisha Fatty’s legal team for validation.
Following a thorough examination of the bank statements from GT Bank, Abdoulaye Thiam’s Counsel, Lamin A. Ceesay conveyed to the court their satisfaction with the documents provided.
Concerning Aisha Fatty’s bank statements from Eco Bank, Justice Jaiteh stated that the Assistant Registrar received a letter from Eco Bank containing details of two accounts owned by Aisha Fatty, one in Dalasi and another in Euro.
Counsel Lamin A. Ceesay, Counsel for Abdoulaye Thiam, requested the court to admit the bank statements in evidence.
“Your honour, now that the documents are in front of the court, we ask for their admission into evidence,” Counsel Lamin A. Ceesay sought.
On the other hand, Counsel Kaddijatou Jallow, representing Aisha Fatty, objected vehemently to the admissibility of her client’s bank statements from GT Bank and Eco Bank.
“If my lord is considering admitting these documents, we are objecting to them vehemently,” Counsel K. Jallow submitted.
Despite the objection raised by Counsel K. Jallow, the presiding judge, Justice Jaiteh did not allow her to argue on the admissibility of the bank statements. The judge ruled that he would not entertain arguments regarding documents produced by the banks themselves.
Furthermore, Justice Jaiteh emphasised that since the documents originated from the banks and not the legal representatives of the plaintiff, he would not engage in discussions about their validity.
Justice Jaiteh proceeded to admit Aisha Fatty’s bank statements from Guaranty Trust Bank and Eco Bank into evidence, marking them as exhibits P12 pages 1 to 288 and P13 (a), respectively.
The bank statements from Eco Bank pertained to Aisha Fatty’s Metro Hair business and Euro account, while the Euro account covered the period from 15 September 2021, to 30 April 2024. Additionally, the Dalasi account at Eco Bank covered from March 21, 2019, to May 18, 2024, marked as exhibit P13 (b).
Justice Jaiteh adjourned the case to 17 July 2024.
